Happy Sad Confused

Just because a guy looks like Hercules doesn't mean he doesn't love geeking out about Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons. As evidence we present the larger than life Joe Manganiello.  This week on "Happy Sad Confused", Josh welcomes Joe to the podcast and finds himself out-geeked by a guy who looks like a real life superhero.  Manganiello (about to be heard as Hefty Smurf in "Smurfs: The Lost Villge" out this week) discusses almost playing Superman AND Spider-Man, how giving up drinking turned his life and career around, and his passion project, turning Dungeons & Dragons into a franchise. All that and he does a mean Arnold Schwarzenegger. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If it seems like Scarlett Johansson’s been kicking ass on screen non-stop in recent years, you’re right. A slew of appearances as Black Widow, a Luc Besson adventure in “Lucy”, and now the eagerly anticipated “Ghost in the Shell” (out this Friday) might make you forget the 32 year old started out an indie darling with films like “Ghost World” and “Lost in Translation.” This week she joins Josh on the podcast to reflect on her unusual career trajectory and also confess “mama’s tired”. So while yes, she’s shooting “Avengers: Infinity War”, don’t look for her to sign on for another ass kicking heroine immediately. Johansson talks to Josh about early days growing up in New York, how Woody Allen changed her career, and why she could have been known as Scarlett Schlamberg. Later in the show, Colin O’Donoghue visits “Happy Sad Confused” to chat about his much obsessed over show, “Once Upon a Time,” singing in an upcoming episode, and his new film, “Carrie Pilby”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Woody Harrelson has this celebrity thing figured out. Any man who counts Bill Murray and Willie Nelson as friends, calls Maui home, and bounces between Star Wars flicks and the quirky comedies, certainly seems to have cracked the code. That being said, all Woody wants to do is stop working. In this second visit to “Happy Sad Confused” the self-professed “slacker hippie” admits he’s desperate for a break. Don’t worry too much though, Woody knows great material when he gets it, which certainly applies to “Wilson” (opening Friday) and the forthcoming Han Solo film, a project he believes might be the greatest Star Wars film yet. In the course of this chat, Josh takes Woody back to his acting beginnings, how he was able to break into films with “White Men Can’t Jump,” why “Natural Born Killers” drove him a little crazy, and why after becoming known as a notorious stoner he gave up smoking nearly a year ago. Also joining Josh on the podcast this week is Rebecca Ferguson, who exploded onto the big screen in 2015 stealing scenes from no less than Tom Cruise in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”. Now, as she prepares to reprise her role in the next “Mission”, she talks to Josh about fighting aliens in “Life” (opening Friday), why she bought a windmill and a circus wagon, and why she feels like Hermione on this latest press tour.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you invite consummate improv geniuses like Paul Scheer or Rob Huebel on your podcast you’re going to go on a tangent or two. Invite them both on, with their long history together, well you’d better strap yourself because things are going to get weird. That’s definitely the case on this week’s “Happy Sad Confused” as Josh welcomes two of the funniest men on the planet as they promote their new hilarious go90 series, “Drive Share”.  The conversation quickly goes awry in the best possible way as the guys discuss everything from why Idris Elba should be the next Batman and why you should never trust Cameron Diaz with a secret to Paul’s strange reason for having a Ralph Fiennes autograph in his childhood bedroom to a lengthy consideration of Rob’s penis (probably too lengthy to be honest). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jerrod Carmichael doesn’t need you to laugh at everything he says. For most comedians that might seem antithetical to their very existence, but Carmichael has different ambitions— as you might expect if you’ve seen his unique work. This week, we find out what’s on the mind of this brilliant young comic as he’s set to unveil his new stand-up special, “8” (debuting Saturday night at 10pm on HBO).  Taped only weeks after the election, Carmichael’s set is raw and real and yes, provocative at times. And here he’s all of the above — not to mention hysterical too — as he delivers his take on Trump, a culture he thinks is a little too whiny, and why so much comedy today doesn’t do it for him. Plus, Carmichael gives a sneak peek at season 3 of his critically hailed NBC sitcom, “The Carmichael Show,” why he wanted to make a network show in the golden age of cable, and what it’s like to be in a Transformers movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At this point, Anna Kendrick is close to achieving full-time cohosting status on “Happy Sad Confused.” She visits Josh this week for a record fourth time, this time bringing a friend along in filmmaker Jeffrey Blitz. Kendrick and Blitz first teamed up for the Sundance hit "Rocket Science" a decade ago. They reminisce with Josh about how that film jump-started each of their careers and talk about why it took them so long to reteam. Their new film, Table 19, opens this week.  Also joining the podcast this week is Stephen Dorff, making a bold left turn in his career with his country-western movie and album "Wheeler" (now available on-demand). Dorff talks about being known as that “e-cig guy,” and living down "Blade" almost 20 years later.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s “Happy Sad Confused,” we find Allison Williams in crisis. The final season of "Girls", the show that launched her career, is airing right now; her new (and first!) film, "Get Out", is opening in theaters this week; and she’s not doing well with the news that Monopoly is doing away with the thimble. So yeah, not exactly earth-shattering, disturbing developments, but still, Allison is ready to let loose in this episode, from her unlikely obsession with "Pearl Harbor" (and Josh Hartnett), to her fear of ventriloquist dummies, to why she can’t bring herself to watch the "Beauty and the Beast" trailer. Speaking of the forthcoming Disney flick, Josh welcomes the Beast himself, Dan Stevens, on this episode as well. Dan reflects on "Downton Abbey," the show that launched his career; the way his Downton character was initially written out of the show; his new critically acclaimed FX show, "Legion"; and why he felt like “a crash test hippo on stilts” making his new movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve seen Dane DeHaan’s work, you might think he’s a tortured angst-ridden teenager, prone to moodiness and ripping a bully at school’s teeth out (okay, that just happened in “Chronicle”, the movie that launched his big screen career). The reality is DeHaan is a pretty even keel guy, and yes a fully functional well adjusted adult. He’s 31, happily married (to actress Anna Wood), and expecting his first child this year, all while juggling two major films he’s the lead in. The first of these, “A Cure For Wellness” (opening this week) puts DeHaan through the paces (if you fear the dentist, drowning, or car crashes, you’ve been warned). On this episode of “Happy Sad Confused”, DeHaan reveals he’s been through worse, almost getting his head cracked open on the set of “Chronicle”. But enough about near death experiences, this conversation is filled with fun, from the actor geeking about his forthcoming sci-fi film, “Valerian”, to what his Match.com profile would look like (spoiler: do NOT touch his feet). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to podcasting history. This week “Happy Sad Confused” welcomes two April fools babies as Josh’s guests, surely a first in the annals of the medium.  First up is Taran Killam, whose eclectic career has included six memorable seasons on “Saturday Night Live”, a surprising appearance in “12 Years a Slave”, and now a Broadway run in “Hamilton”.  Killam lives up to his nerd reputation in this conversation that goes deep into “Star Wars” (including the tongue in cheek audition tape he made for the Han Solo movie), how to properly imitate Christoph Waltz, what it’s like to direct Arnold Schwarzenegger, and a detailed pitch for the superhero movie he desperately wants to star in.  Later in the show David Oyelowo visits Josh to talk about his starring role in the true life romantic drama, “A United Kingdom” (out this Friday). Oyelowo also talks about his remarkable performance in “Selma”, why Idris Elba has his vote to be the next James Bond, and even sings a little power ballad, just to show off his range. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the exciting byproducts of visiting a film festival like Sundance is getting a sneak peek at the next big thing, whether it be a filmmaker or an actor. Certainly this year was no exception with relative unknowns like Chante Adams (“Roxanne Roxanne”) and Danielle Macdonald (“Patti Cake$”) breaking through in a big way.  Then there’s the young talent, already established, but still on the rise. That’s what this week’s “Happy Sad Confused” delivers with four conversations with some of the best and the brightest actors working today, each making a splash at Sundance this year. Tavi Gevinson is only 20 years old, but already boasts an eclectic list of accomplishments, from writer and fashion maven to magazine editor. It’s her acting career however that is the focus of this conversation, from her stage work in “The Crucible” to her Sundance debut, “Person to Person”. Returning to the podcast on this episode is the charming and self-deprecating Dave Franco, whose Sundance flick “The Little Hours” teams him up with Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly, and real-life fiancé Alison Brie. Franco talks about his absurdly awkward sex scenes, being objectified, and still finds time to rib Josh for never having seen “The Room”.  Another returning guest and Sundance veteran at just 25 is Logan Lerman, starring in the ambitious drama, “Sidney Hall”. Lerman again proves he’s the real deal in this heartbreaking story of a young writer grappling with success, fame, and his own demons.  Finally, Josh welcomes a newcomer to “Happy Sad Confused” in Zoey Deutch, making her Sundance debut with two films, “Rebel in the Rye” (she stars as Oona O’Neill opposite Nicholas Hoult’s JD Salinger) and “Before I Fall”, a sort of dramatic “Groundhog Day” by way of YA that’s garnered great reviews in advance of it’s March 3rd opening.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices